Into the Woods
by Punk Rock Kitsune
Summary: AU. Arthur Kirkland had no idea what he was getting himself into when his ship docked in the New World. In fact, an arrow was shot at him the first day there. Arthur never expected to meet and fall in love with a Native American man. USUK.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I wanted to try something new. We all know that before the British, French, and Spanish came to America, Native Americans inhabited the country. Native Americans haven't been shown in Hetalia at all, and I started to think what America would be like if he had contact with them? I'm surprised Hetalia didn't cover that, since they were there the entire time.**

**Into the Woods is like a mix of Pocahontas and Tarzan, but in no means similar plot-wise. I have Native American ancestors on record, so I'm curious about my heritage. In fact, when my grandmother was 13, her great-grandfather was a full blooded Native American, and that time, he was 110 years old. My mind was blown.**

**Enough of my babbling, I just wanted to share some insight before you read. There will be Cherokee words used, so here's a translation so you won't get confused. **

_*** **_I realize that some of the translations are fragments, and that is because there are certain words that I could not find the translation to, like "are", "is", "you're", etc.

_**tsis- **__rabbit_

_**waya- **__wolf_

_**agatanai-**__ wise_

_**agawela- **__old woman_

_**Ahyoka- **__female Cherokee name meaning "She brought happiness"_

_**Etsi- **__mama_

_**Agasga- **__female Cherokee name meaning "Rain"_

_***Gago nehi?- **__Who you?_

_***Gadono nehi hayani?- **__Why you here?_

_*****_ _**Nehi nasgi ani tsalagi!- **__You not Cherokee Indian!_

**Thanks, and I'll see you at the bottom. :3**

* * *

_**Title: **__Into the Woods_

_**Rating: **__T_

_**Pairing: **__USUK_

_**Disclaimer: **__Not only do I own Hetalia, but I am the president of the world. Oh yes!_

_**Summary: **AU. Arthur Kirkland had no idea what he was getting himself into when his ship docked in the New World. In fact, an arrow was shot at him the first day there. Arthur never expected to meet and fall in love with a Naive American man. USUK.__ Takes place in the 1600s._

* * *

_A cry pierced the night sky as the Cherokee tribe in Virginia finished setting up teepees in their new home._

"_What was that?" A young girl asked, scared._

"_It must be a tsis_ _getting eaten by a waya." A little boy sneered._

"_Shhh, be still." A voice told them._

"_Yes, agatanai agawela_ _Ahyoka." The children said quietly._

_The said old woman rose out of her teepee. Another cry was heard, and it was obvious that it didn't come from an animal. A crisp breeze carried the sound, the wind whipping through Ahyoka's long grey hair. The woman walked towards the cry, ignoring the rest of the tribe's worry._

"_Etsi, where are you going?" Her daughter Agasga asked._

"_Something is calling for me." Ahyoka explained, smiling at her oldest daughter. "And I've always followed my callings. I was not blessed with my powers for nothing. Rest, my dear. I will be back soon."_

_Agasga looked on helplessly as she watched her mother walk deep into the woods..._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_Ahyoka followed the sound for hours. Her strength was draining, but pressed on anyway._

"_I have to find the source of this..."_

_The cries grew louder and louder in volume, and a hazy green light illuminated the area. Ahyoka gasped in shock. In the midst of that light was a baby, all alone on the ground. He had icy blue eyes, light hair, and light skin. Ahyoka was shaken at his appearance, never seeing a human that looked like that before._

"_What are you..." Ahyoka whispers, picking up the crying boy._

_In an instant, the green light disappeared, and Ahyoka's strength returned. Ahyoka studied the sobbing baby._

"_Even though you don't look like me, you are a life that has been called for me to look after." She whispered. "You are safe now..."_

* * *

"Land, ho!" A shipmate cried from the main mast of the ship.

Cheers were sounded as the rumored New World came into view. After sailing from England to the New World "America", the relief is hard to suppress.

"Captain Kirkland, America is dead ahead!" Another shipmate called to the emotionless man.

Twenty-three year old Arthur Kirkland looked down from the ship's wheel.

"I know that, you dimwit. I'm the one steering the bloody ship." Arthur said coldly. "Go do something useful like preparing the anchors."

"Yes, sir!" The shipmate saluted.

"Oh Arthur, you are no fun." A voice whined behind him. "I wonder what would happen if your crew found out that you believe fairies exist."

The British sailor closed his eyes in irritation at the French accent.

"Francis, how many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" Arthur snapped, glaring at twenty-six year old Francis Bonnefoy. "The only reason why I let a frog on my ship is because you've been to Jamestown, Virginia before and you know where the forest route is for furs. The second this ship returns to England, I'm kicking you out to the Atlantic."

Francis simply tsked the grumpy Englishman. "I say, you have the attitude of a prude virgin, which is what you are. You need to learn to get loose, _mon ami_. Hopefully there will be some women to your liking in Jamestown."

"If I get "loose" like you, I'll end up as a cheese eating prostitute." Arthur retorted.

Francis flipped some of his long blond hair back over his shoulder, smirking. "When will you let go of this cold exterior you are maintaining? All of the shipmates here think you're a monster sometimes."

"Good. That's what keeps my crew in order. However, there is _one_ I am a bit concerned about." Arthur replied, narrowing his eyes. "I let a Prussian man join our crew. He's experienced in hunting and sailing like me. However, he's a bit too radical for my liking. I'm keeping my eye on him."

Arthur's brow furrowed as the said silver haired and red eyed Prussian, Gilbert Beilschmidt, came into view down on the deck.

"How do you sleep at night with all of your silly paranoia?" Francis yawned.

"Call it whatever you like, frog. There's a reason why Britain is the strongest force in the world." Arthur barked, turning back to the front of the ship. "Just be sure you can lead us to the camps."

Francis leaned back in his seat, a smile on his face.

_Arthur always tries to act like we are complete strangers. I don't think he will ever claim that we were childhood friends._ He mused.

Arthur's ship docked at the Jamestown port with other Englishmen and women waiting for them. Once Arthur stepped off the ship, he was met with praises from the men and squeals from the women.

"He's so handsome!" "My mind can get lost in those eyebrows of his~!" "I wonder if he has a wife..."

Arthur ignored the cooing women and kept walking. Francis on the other hand, stopped to flirt with every woman he could find.

"_Mon belle fleur_, your eyes are as bright as the sun, but as mysterious as the moon." Francis told a sixteen year old girl seductively.

She giggled. "You really think so?"

"Why of course, _mon amour_."

"Hey, pedophile, we're leaving you behind." Arthur cut in, irritated. "You're lucky that none of the fellow Englishmen here don't have any idea where the forests are, or else you'd be stuck here forever."

"How mean!" Francis whined, leaving the blushing girl behind.

Arthur turned on his heel and walked with the rest of his crew.

_So far this America hasn't impressed me at all. The stories I hear about it at home are rubbish. Let's just see how amazing this "New World" is._

* * *

By the time the sun started to set, camp for the night was set up about three miles from the forest and a lake.

"Alright, we'll start on this route first thing in the morning." Arthur ordered his party. "We need to be in and out in a week, so don't expect any sort of vacation. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" His men cried.

The Prussian, Gilbert, rolled his eyes. "I didn't come here just to follow the orders of some bushy eyebrowed freak. I intend to see what else I can scope out here for myself." He muttered.

At dinnertime, the crewmen were laughing and talking loudly. One was telling a story.

"You know, before we left the docks, a man told me to be careful of the Ghost Warrior." Edward, a crewmember, was explaining. "He said a boy named Simon got too close to the woods and was attacked with a weapon from nowhere. He couldn't see anyone."

"That's a bunch of crap!" Another member, Martin, laughed.

"You've never encountered anyone in battle before, have you?" Gilbert asked, grinning slyly. "I can believe such a tale. This "Ghost Warrior" sounds intriguing to me!"

Arthur sighed and stood up. Wanting to get away from the loud nonsense, he took a walk over to the lake. Once he arrived, he sat down and stared at his reflection.

_What will I do when I go back to London? I'll get a hefty payment for my work, but then what? I have no family to go to, and no friends. Francis was the only friend I had growing up, and with the increasing tensions between us and his home country France, I can't be seen with him without a strict reason. What should I do...?_

Arthur was thrown out of his thoughts when he saw something out of the corner of his eye hurling towards him. He quickly rolled over to the right, dodging the object.

"What the hell...!?"

Arthur looked over to see that an arrow was shot at him. He could see a silhouette of a human running away.

"Aha!" Without thinking, Arthur whipped his pistol out of his holster and ran into the woods.

Angry, Arthur looked around for his attacker.

"Come on out, you coward!" Arthur shouted. "No one attacks an Englishman and gets away with it!"

Arthur could feel the wind of something running fast behind him, so Arthur took off in that direction as well. However, Arthur was suddenly face to face with a bow and arrow aimed at him. Behind the weapon was a man a few inches taller than him with blond hair, angry blue eyes, and feathers in his hair. Two red streaks were painted under his striking eyes, and a yellow streak of paint went down the center of his nose.

"_Gago nehi_?" The man snapped in a language Arthur didn't understand.

"What the hell are you saying?" Arthur shouted, aiming his pistol at the man.

"_Gadono nehi hayani? Nehi nasgi ani tsalagi_!" The man shouted again.

"Try speaking English you feral fool!" Arthur retorted.

The two stared at each other, having no idea what the other was saying. The painted man glared at Arthur before dropping his weapon. Arthur thought his intention was to surrender, but he thought wrong. The man grabbed Arthur shoulders, yanked him close, and pressed his mouth against his in a kiss. Shocked, the pistol slipped out of Arthur's hands.

After a few seconds, the attacker pushed Arthur away, picking up his bow and arrow and aiming it at him.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" He shouted.

Arthur eyes widened.

"What!? You attack me with a bloody arrow, scream at me in a weird language, kiss me, and then speak clear English? And you _dare_ question me?"

"You must leave now! You pale men are trespassing our home!" The man told Arthur.

"You have a pale complexion as well! So what are you?" Arthur retorted.

"I am a Cherokee. You are not. I'm warning you now, stay away from here, or you will never forget the name _Amelige_, or in your strange language, America!"

With that, the man disappeared.

"What the hell...?" Arthur stood there, wide-eyed. "This "Amelige" is obviously out of his mind! I'll kill him before he ever threatens me again!"

* * *

It was late when Arthur finally returned to camp.

"Where have you been, captain? We were about to send a search party." Edward said to the exhausted Englishman.

"I've been at the lake, and I fell asleep." Arthur lied. "But I'm okay."

That night, all Arthur could think about was the man who called himself America.

_Who names themselves after a continent? And how come he couldn't speak English until he... kissed me? _Arthur shuddered at the memory. _Well whoever he is, I have a feeling that he's going to be much more of a concern than Gilbert and Francis put together._

* * *

**That's it for chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed this! I apologize about the long A/N at the beginning and not much excitement in this chapter. I try to get the boring stuff over with in the first chapter so the rest will be awesome! Just to clear up some confusion, yes, pistols were around in the 17****th**** century, and Hetalia America is human, his given Native American name just happens to mean America. I repeat, he is not a country in this.**

**I hope you enjoyed this, and there will be more chapters soon! Reviews are appreciated and will help me improve my writing. No flames, please. Ja ne~! :3**

**PRK**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Wow, more of you awesome people read this than I thought! Thanks so much! And thanks for the reviews Angel the Neko and beastie! :3 I'm not relatively "new" to the Hetalia fanfiction fandom anymore (especially with the debut of Censored), but I never really had much luck with multi-chaptered fics for Hetalia than I've had with my oneshots. So thanks again!**

**So, will Arthur be seeing "Amelige" anytime soon?**

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

"What the hell is this?" Arthur snapped.

The next morning, Francis was lying in bed in his tent, coughing roughly. His entire face was red, and his eyes were droopy.

"He's sick, sir." A party member Thomas told Arthur. "I think the fish he ate had something in it."

"My food... I want my French cuisine back!" Francis wailed dramatically. "This is just about as worse as British food!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Well what are we supposed to do? We can't go hunt without knowing where to go! He's our only guide!"

"We can always scout out a route ourselves until he gets better." Gilbert suggested, smirking.

Arthur eyed Gilbert. "I suppose we can, but we can't send our entire party out."

"Well how about the both of us?" Gilbert asked. "We can split up."

The Englishman exhaled through his nose. "Alright, fine. The minute you find any sort of route we can follow, signal me with a gunshot, and I'll do the same."

"Sound good to me. Let's go!" Gilbert cried.

"Boys, make sure Francis recovers. We'll need him tomorrow." Arthur ordered his party.

"Yes, sir!"

Arthur grabbed his pistol and set out with Gilbert.

"You were gone an awfully long time yesterday." Gilbert told Arthur. "I doubt someone like you would fall asleep in a new environment, especially when you don't know the terrain."

"You're a pretty sharp observer." Arthur replied harshly.

"So what were you really doing?" Gilbert pressed.

"I was... preoccupied." Arthur told him curtly.

"Arthur Kirkland, the young sailor and hunter preoccupied? That's a hoot." Gilbert laughed.

"You know what else is a hoot?" Arthur snapped. "You believed that ridiculous Ghost Warrior tale."

"Unlike you, the awesome me has a great sense of adventure." Gilbert sneered. "You just stick to facts and figures, while I tend to go out on a limb. You need to learn how to live. And by live, I mean do something awesome, not believe in storybook fairies."

"Tch...! How did you find out about that!?" Arthur cried.

"I have ears everywhere." Gilbert smirked proudly.

_Not only that, but I heard him talk about fairies in his sleep last night._

"Well, I'll go left, and you'll take right." Gilbert told Arthur as they approached the wooded area.

"You are in no position to be making orders, Gilbert." Arthur barked, already upset that Gilbert of all people found out his fairy secret. "_You_ go right, and _I'll_ go left. Understood?"

"Yes, sir! The awesome me will find a route quicker than you can say Tinkerbell!" Gilbert replied mockingly.

With that, Gilbert marched into the forest, his laughing echoing back.

"If he keeps that up, I may have to have a guillotine exported to England from France." Arthur muttered before entering the forest on the left side.

As he began his search, the weird man Amelige popped into his mind.

_That bastard... I can't believe he kissed me and then spoke English. What was that? He probably never had any proper training in etiquette. _

Arthur trudged along in deep thought. Not paying attention to his surroundings was a huge mistake. A sudden growl made Arthur freeze in his tracks. He looked up to see a huge grizzly bear about six feet away from him, its teeth bared.

"Christ...!" Arthur took a step back in shock.

The bear continued to growl, albeit more ferociously.

_That thing might attack me. I'll never let some animal intimidate me and make me run in cowardice!_

Arthur took out his handy pistol, aiming it at the bear.

"This bear will be the first hunt for fur..." Arthur whispered to himself, cocking the gun.

"_Halewista!_" A familiar voice cried.

Arthur already pulled the trigger, the bullet pelting the bear in its chest. The bear roared in pain, falling on its side to reveal three baby cubs staring at their mother.

Arthur was a bit shaken, then he felt a strong grip on his wrist.

"Ow!" Arthur winced, dropping the gun.

"What have you done?"

Arthur turned his head to see the man from yesterday, Amelige. He looked extremely angry, and tears were forming in the edges of his eyes.

"She didn't do anything to you!" Amelige shouted in Arthur's face. "She wasn't going to hurt you! She was only protecting her cubs, making sure a possible predator wouldn't get them!"

Arthur began to tremble, tears forming in his own eyes. This is the first time Arthur ever lost his composure in front of anyone. The pure hurt in Ameliga's eyes made his heart wrench in regret.

"I...I'm sorry." Arthur whispered.

Amelige yanked Arthur over to the fallen bear.

"_Nehi uha tla no adanvto_! You are no different from the other pale men who have entered this forest. You kill for pleasure and for greed, not for survival! I warned you to stay out of this forest! Look at her! Look!"

Arthur stared at the dying animal, his tears running over.

"I... I... I..." Arthur couldn't form any words. The Englishman has hunted and killed before and didn't have any regrets, but looking down at the animal made him feel shameful.

Amelige shoved Arthur to the side and squatted next to the bear. He lifted his hands over the bullet wound and closed his eyes, chanting softly.

"Fur and feather and scale and skin. Different without but the same within. Strange of body but one of soul. Through all creatures are the Gods made whole."

A soft green light came from his hands, and the wound instantly healed.

"What on Earth...?" Arthur couldn't finish his sentence. Arthur may believe in fairies, but he couldn't believe that a mere mortal could perform such magic.

Amelige stood up and glared at Arthur. "If I didn't show up when I did, these cubs wouldn't have a mother to take care of them."

"I'm sorry..." Arthur was still trembling.

Amelige studied Arthur. "I want you to come with me for a while."

"What? Why?" Arthur asked, his paranoia edging back.

"You have no idea how precious life is, do you?" Amelige asked.

Arthur remained silent, Gilbert's words about actually living a life coming back to him.

"I thought so." Amelige scoffed. "I want to show you what a life is. So come with me."

Entranced by Amelige, Arthur slowly nodded in agreement. He bent down to retrieve his pistol, but Ameliga stopped him.

"You won't be needing that thing." He told him.

Arthur's eyes narrowed, still not used to other people ordering him around. Amelige met Arthur's glare with an even stronger one. The Englishman couldn't hold the silent battle up.

"Fine." Arthur snapped. "But don't get used to me being so passive. I'm not one to be messed with."

"Neither am I, pale man." Amelige replied. "And neither are the Cherokee, my people."

Amelige grabbed Arthur's wrist and dragged him along.

_This "Cherokee" he speaks of must be as strange as him._ Arthur thought to himself. _I mean, look at his clothing. His trousers look like they are made from extremely cheap fabric, and he isn't wearing a shirt for heaven's sake!_ _Also, the paint on his face is extremely peculiar. Paint is for art. And his shoes... what are they?_

"What do your people call you?" Amelige asked abruptly, snapping Arthur from his thoughts.

"What?" Arthur said, confused.

"What do the pale men call you." Amelige repeated. "You already know that I am called Ameliga."

"Oh, do you mean my name?" Arthur clarified.

"Name? I guess so...?" Amelige replied, baffled at the word "name".

"Oh. My name is Arthur Kirkland." The Englishman replied.

"You have two of these "names"?" Amelige titled his head.

"Why, yes I do. The other name, "Kirkland", is my surname. My ancestors before me have had the name Kirkland. It's sort of an identity."

"Identity, huh?" Amelige mused, having no idea what a "surname" was. "My name Ameliga has always been my identity."

"Speaking of identity, what the hell did you do yesterday?" Arthur asked, his shock returning.

"What I did?" Amelige repeated.

"Yes! You came out of nowhere speaking complete rubbish, but then you kissed me, and now you speak English. What was that all about?" Arthur snapped.

Amelige tilted his head again. "I don't know what a "kiss" is. Do you mean when my mouth touched yours?"

"Yes, goddamn it!" Arthur huffed.

"I had no idea what you were saying." Amelige explained. "And whenever my mouth touches someone else's who is speaking a foreign tongue, I learn that language in seconds. However, I am not knowledgeable of all the words in this strange "English" of yours."

"Clearly." Arthur muttered. "So, how old are you anyway?"

Amelige laughed. "I am not old yet! Many suns and moons will pass until I am old!"

"No, not "old" as in grey hair and wrinkly skin!" Arthur told him, frustrated. "I mean "old" as in age!"

"Age?" Amelige repeated. "Well, I am ten and nine years."

"Ten and nine... so you're nineteen." Arthur concluded.

"Nineteen? Is that how English speaking people count years?" Amelige asked.

"Why yes it is." Arthur replied.

"So, what is your age?"

"According to you, twenty and three years."

"Twenty? You mean two ten and three years? So that means you are... twoteen?" Amelige asked innocently.

This time, Arthur chuckled. "You don't know the correct way of counting, do you?"

"Not in your language." Amelige pointed out. "That is another problem with the pale men. They believe that just because we are different from them, we are beneath them."

"It's not that." Arthur shrugged. "It's just that it appears that wherever you live, it's uncivilized."

Amelige stopped walking, causing Arthur to bump into him.

"Hey, what's the problem?" Arthur asked.

"Uncivilized, you say?" Amelige said rather coldly. "Just because we don't wear ridiculously stiff clothing and do different things, we are uncivilized?"

"My clothing isn't stiff!" Arthur protested, tugging at his own shirt.

"You haven't seen any other type of civilization outside of your own, right?" Amelige asked. "Let me show you my people."

Amelige resumed tugging Arthur forward.

"I can walk fine on my own!" Arthur snapped.

"We're nearing my home. If they see you without me, they will capture you and maybe even kill you." Amelige explained to the Englishman. "So stay close."

Arthur sighed, yielding to the Native American once again.

_Just who are these "Cherokee"?_

* * *

"Arthur!" Gilbert called into the forest.

He had heard a gunshot and then some yelling. Now he couldn't locate Arthur at all.

"Come out! The awesome Gilbert is getting tired!" He called.

Just then, Gilbert tripped over something and fell flat on his face.

"What the hell?" Gilbert seethed. "Who dared trip me?"

He rolled over to find Arthur's pistol.

"What...? Surely he wouldn't leave without this..."

Gilbert picked the weapon up and continued to look around on the ground. He could spot three different types of trails. One was undoubtedly Arthur's footprints, one he could decipher as bear prints, but the third pair belonged to another human.

"Just what is going on here?" Gilbert wondered.

With several scenarios of what could've happened to Arthur in his mind, Gilbert set off again to search for Arthur.

* * *

**A cliffhanger! Yessss! :3**

**Translations**

_**Halewista!- **__Stop!_

_**Nehi uha tla no adanvto!- **__You have no heart!_

**I hope you have enjoyed chapter 2! Reviews are loved and appreciated. There will be more coming soon, so stay tuned! Ja ne~! :3**

**PRK**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey again, guys! For those who know me, you probably thought I had given up on this already. :P That's not the case. I had exams last week, so I've been extremely busy. But good news! For this entire week, it is fall break for me! Which means more updates~! And more time for my social life. Psh, you guys don't think my entire life revolves around fanfiction, do you? What 16 year old does that?**

**Readers: *****stares at me*******

**But seriously, I refuse to give up on Into the Woods. :3**

**Also, it turns out I was spelling America's name wrong the entire time. It's "Amelige", not "Ameliga". -.- Ten fail points for me. I've already fixed the other "Ameliga's" in the previous chapters.**

**Also, I will be making a Pocahontas reference in here. I do not own the Disney Pocahontas!**

**Well, I hope you enjoy chapter 3. See you at the bottom.**

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

Amelige stopped in front of a cluster of tall bushes encrusted in thorns. Arthur looked at Amelige, at the bush, and then back at Amelige.

"Well, why did you stop? There's no way to get past all of these bushes without killing yourself." Arthur told him.

"That's another reason I dislike the pale men; they think other people who aren't like them are stupid." Amelige replied tautly.

"Well, excuse me!" Arthur huffed. "So how are we going to get past this?"

Amelige grabbed Arthur's hand again and walked directly into the bushes.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!? Are you trying to kill us both!?" Arthur shouted, trying to pull away.

"Quiet, Armor. Do not anger the spirits protecting my home." Amelige said calmly.

"My name is _Arthur_, not "Armor", dammit! And what the hell are you talking about? Spirits?"

"Just trust me." Amelige smiled.

Arthur's stern face faltered. "F-Fine, then..."

Amelige walked right through the bushed. Arthur shut his eyes tightly, expecting some sort of pain, but all he felt were the light brushes of the bushes.

"There's no need to be scared, Alexander. We're perfectly safe." Amelige said, putting his free hand on Arthur's head.

"It's _Arthur_, you tosser! And I wasn't scared. I've been taught to expect the unexpected, that's all." Arthur snarled, opening his eyes to glare at the Native American.

"Well, let's test that." Amelige grinned.

He stepped to the side, and Arthur's jaw dropped in awe. Before him was no more forest, but a wonderful paradise. Acres of grass stretched across the horizon, and a clear blue river lay just ahead. Off in the distance, rows of corn stood tall and proud, waiting to be harvested. However, out of all of the beauty that surrounded him, the main shock for Arthur was the people.

Dozens of copper skinned people with jet black hair and brown eyes roamed the area, talking and laughing in their native _Tsalagi_ language. Most of the men were shirtless like Amelige with different symbols of paint decorating them. The women had knee length cloth dresses adorned with beads. Arthur had never seen people with a skin tone darker than his.

One of the Cherokee looked up at spotted Arthur.

"_Nasgi yunega! Agisdiyi galitsadi ale gatlida!_" He cried.

Immediately, the women ran for their teepees while the men grabbed their weapons: bows and arrows.

Arthur gritted his teeth. He didn't care if he didn't have a weapon and was outnumbered thirty to one. He would rather die honorably in battle than run away.

"_Halewista!_" Amelige cried, standing in front of Arthur. "_Nasgiasgaya wili nasgi atsisonvnv itsulaayv!"_

Amelige continued to explain to the Cherokee in _Tsalagi_ while Arthur stood there, dumbfounded. He heard Amelige mention his name several times, but that was all he understood.

"_Nasgiasgaya wanige atslvsgi, golisdi?_" Amelige finished with a grin.

Most of the men laughed, and then waved hello at Arthur before returning back to their business.

"That went better than I expected." Arthur noted. "What exactly did you say to them?"

Amelige smiled. "Oh, I just told them that you weren't going to hurt us, you are on our side, and to go easy on you because you're a delicate flower."

"_What!?_" Arthur shouted in Amelige's face. "Why in God's name would you tell them I'm a delicate flower, you wanker? Do I look like a girl to you?"

Amelige was silent as he stared at Arthur.

"...don't answer that." Arthur snapped. He faced the Cherokee.

"Ignore what your idiot said. I am _not_ a flower! I'm a sailor and a hunter!" He shouted.

Everyone just stared at him, wondering what he was saying.

"And by the way, who said anything about me being on your side?" Arthur asked, frowning. "I am simply here to continue the fur trade. The crew here before me was here for gold, but couldn't find any because some Indians attacked them and hid it."

"That is not what happened." Amelige shook his head. "I heard about it. It wasn't our tribe, but there was no gold there in that area. The tribe and the pale men were on the brink of war, but the chief's brave daughter and one of the pale men helped end it."

"Well, I hope a war won't start here." Arthur replied. "Our crew is just going to hunt, then leave."

"But this land doesn't belong to you." Amelige frowned. "You pale men can't trespass!"

"Can you quit calling us pale men for Christ's sake! We are English. British. Gentlemen. Whatever you prefer!"

Amelige shook his head sadly. "You pale men are far from "gentle men". Men who are gentle don't destroy nature, they protect it. We don't ruthlessly kill. Like I told you, we only kill for survival, nothing more. As you can see, in the mid seasons, we use cloth for our clothing. We only use animal hide in the brutal cold."

"Look, this isn't my call." Arthur sighed. "We were sent here on orders, and not completing them could mean the end of-"

"Your reputation, right?" Amelige cut him off, narrowing his eyes.

Arthur couldn't deny that claim.

"You still don't get it." Amelige sighed in frustration. "Gentle men" or not, you pale men all think the same."

Amelige grabbed Arthur's wrist again and dragged him through the Cherokee village.

"Hey! Not again! Where are you taking me now!?" Arthur shouted.

Amelige ignored him. They reached the wholesome river. Several canoes were laying on the edge. The large ones were for war. Amelige dragged one of the smaller canoes into the river and grabbed a paddle.

"Come on in." Amelige called to Arthur. "I refuse to give up on you."

"Oh, lucky me." Arthur grumbled. "And why not?"

Amelige seemed a bit hesitant. "Because... I can see you're not like the other pale men I have encountered. You truly are... a delicate flower."

Arthur's face went red without him noticing. "I-I am not delicate..."

Without much more of a fuss, Arthur stepped into the canoe.

_This is the worst... why is this child able to make me act so differently? People who have met me have almost always feared me afterwards. But this Ameliga... I actually kind of fear him. It's a good thing he doesn't live in England, or else the government would probably restart the witch trials and burn him at the stake._

Arthur smiled while laughing to himself.

"What's funny?" Amelige asked curiously, paddling into the river.

"Oh, nothing at all." Arthur replied, regaining his cold composure.

Shrugging, Amelige faced the stream ahead of him.

"You know, I know we only just met, but I'm sure you know by now that I'm not an ordinary human." Amelige told him. "And I know some things about you that you have yet to realize."

"Like what?" Arthur asked suspiciously, tensing up.

"I know that you never smile much." He replied, still looking forward. "And that smile I just saw a minute ago is the first one you've given in many years."

Arthur gasped in shock. Just how did Amelige know this?

"You aren't that difficult to read." Amelige grinned. "Besides... you have an endearing smile."

All of Arthur's blood rushed to his face. "I...Is that so?"

"Look, here is our destination!" Amelige cried in glee, not hearing Arthur.

And just like that, Arthur snapped out of his daze.

_What the hell am I doing? I should be back at camp! Or hunting! And I need to make sure Francis is recovering okay..._

"Um, Amelige, I have to go." Arthur told him.

Amelige titled his head curiously. "Why? We just arrived."

"I know, but I really have to...!?" Arthur cut himself off as Amelige's face got way to close to his.

"What exactly is more important?" Amelige asked, his big blue eyes flickering with playfulness.

"I... I... I..." Arthur couldn't form an intelligible sentence.

"Please stay for a little longer?" Amelige pleaded lightly.

Arthur couldn't resist Amelige's charm. "Fine, whatever."

"Alright! Well, we step off here." Amelige grinned, jumping out of the canoe and onto dry land.

_It is decided; this guy could be tried for and convicted of a witch._ Arthur thought, following Amelige.

* * *

"What kind of a creature is this?" Arthur asked, looking at a red furred animal. "It looks like a dog, but..."

"Oh, that's a _tsula_, or in your language, a fox." Amelige informed Arthur.

The two have been hiking around for a while now, and Arthur's curiosity got the better of him.

"Oh, so that's what a fox looks like..." Arthur trailed off. Foxes were on the list of animas to hunt for furs. "It's a stunning looking thing."

"Yeah, foxes are!" Amelige grinned. "Do you want to meet the fox?"

Arthur looked at Amelige, startled. "What?"

"Would you like to meet the fox?" Amelige repeated.

"Amelige, it's a wild creature. How on earth would I-?"

By then, Amelige had already approached the fox.

"Amelige, what do you think you're doing!? You're going to get bitten!" Arthur warned him.

Amelige stooped down so he was eye level with the animal. He began to make weird sounding barks. The fox responded with barks of his own.

"Amelige... what are you doing?" Arthur asked, bewildered.

"I'm communicating with the fox." Amelige said simply, not breaking eye contact with the animal.

_Oh, great..._ Arthur moaned to himself. _I let myself get taken away by a madman. _

"Okay, Arthur! Adahy said that he would meet you too as long as you promise to not harm any of his kind." Amelige told Arthur.

"Adahy?" Arthur repeated.

"Yeah, that's the fox's name. He told me." Amelige picked Adahy up and carried him over to the Englishman.

Arthur took several steps back.

"It's okay, Arthur. Adahy won't bite you." Amelige assured him.

Arthur looked down at Adahy. Adahy's brown eyes flickered with trust. Taking a deep breath, Arthur reached his hand out and petted Adahy on his head. Adahy purred softly as Arthur began to scratch his neck soothingly.

Arthur's smile came back as he took Adahy into his arms. "Wow, this Adahy isn't such a bad chap."

Amelige's eyes lidded in happiness. _I knew Arthur was different from the others. I knew it._

"Hey, Arthur." Amelige called after Arthur released Adahy.

"Yes?" Arthur asked, the smile on his face.

"The moon is almost out." He said, pointing at the setting sun and darkening sky. "I want to show you something."

With that, Amelige grabbed Arthur's hand and dragged him off again.

_W-W-Why is he holding my hand and not my wrist? _Arthur asked himself. _Does he have any idea what that means...?_

* * *

"Look, here we are!" Amelige cried proudly.

They had arrived to a clear field, with trees decorating the edges.

He turned around to see a ruddy faced Arthur. "What the matter?"

It was hard for Arthur to breathe the entire hike to this field. He felt so awkward holding hands with Amelige. All he could think about were the couples he saw back in London holding hands.

"I-I'm fine." Arthur stammered, trying to regain his composure. "I should be asking you that. Why did you take me to an empty field?"

Amelige's grin widened. "You'll see very soon. So for now, sit down with me."

Amelige plopped on the ground. Sighing, Arthur followed suit.

"For someone so foreboding, you are quite timid, aren't you?" Amelige wondered out loud.

"What?" Arthur asked, quite offending. "What are you talking about?"

"You are afraid to let others see who you are. And you're also afraid to break away from how things stand."

"I don't know how you came up with all of that." Arthur snapped, his eyes narrowing. "I don't know what you did, but my personality changes around you. You're already a pretty weird person with this "magic" of yours. What did you do to make me act differently?"

Amelige continued to smile. "You aren't behaving _differently_ from who you are. You have revealed to me who you _truly_ are."

Arthur felt a gasp leave his throat.

At that moment, the moon began to shine, and hundreds of fireflies hovered from the ground, their bright lights flickering on and off.

"Wow... this is amazing!" Arthur gasped in awe. "I've never seen this many fireflies in one place back home!"

Amelige leaned over, noticing that a baby firefly's lights are not coming on. He gently picked it up and cupped it in his hands.

"In some ways, Arthur, you are like this baby firefly here." Amelige said, showing him the lightless bug. "You have a light already built inside of you, but you are just afraid to let it shine in front of others."

Amelige covered the firefly completely, a green light coming from his hands. "But with the right push..." Amelige released the firefly, its lights flickering like the rest. "Your light will break through the darkness surrounding it."

Arthur gazed at Amelige, his words sinking in. _Amelige... just what kind of man are you...?_

* * *

A few hours later, Amelige safely led Arthur out of his hidden home and back to the main part of the forest. Arthur was silent the entire time.

"Will I be seeing you tomorrow?" Amelige asked hopefully.

"...probably not." Arthur replied, looking away. "I'm due out of America in a few days with furs."

Amelige's expression saddened.

"You need to get the animals living here out of the forest." Arthur told Amelige fiercely. "If you don't want them hunted and skinned, then get them out of here and into the forest we were just at. Then we will have no choice but to go elsewhere. You have special powers. I'm sure you can do it."

With that Arthur turned on his heel and made his way back out of the forest, not looking back once.

_Arthur... your light is hidden under stone._ Amelige thought to himself. _I know it is in there, no matter how cold you act towards me. I know that now you realize how precious life is, but I have a feeling that your stony exterior will allow the other hunters to continue coming into the forest._

* * *

"Hey, Captain! Where have you been?" Edward demanded upon Arthur's return. "Gilbert has been looking for you for ages, and we even sent out a small search party to get you! But it wasn't all for nothing. We came across a bear and some cubs. Gilbert thought the bears attacked you, since he spotted bear tracks, so..."

Arthur couldn't hear anything else. Behind Edward were the furs of the mother and her cubs, all lying around a fire to dry.

"We have some meat left over for you." Edward finished, smiling proudly.

"Yes, yes. Well, I need to rest for a bit." Arthur said, feeling extremely sick to his stomach.

With his face to the ground, he began to walk over to his tent, his eyes brimming with tears. A pair of familiar boots blocked his trail, and he looked up to see an unpleased Gilbert.

"You dropped this." The Prussian said coldly, holding out Arthur's pistol.

"Oh, this." Arthur took back his gun. "Thanks for finding it."

"Yeah." Gilbert gave Arthur an onceover. "What's the problem here? You go missing for the entire day, _weaponless_, and then turn up like nothing happened? Captain, you're supposed to lead us. Those bear furs won't meet the requirement needed for the trade. If this keeps up, we'll need a new captain."

Arthur glared at Gilbert. "All I have to say to you is good luck."

With that, Arthur retreated to his tent. Gilbert smirked as he walked over to join the other men.

_Arthur is losing trust in his own crew. In no time, I will take over completely, claim all of this land for myself, and Arthur can kiss my sweet German ass. Keseseseseeee!_

* * *

**Dun, dun, dunnnn! Another cliffhanger!**

**What is blossoming between Arthur and Amelige? Is it love? Or for Arthur, is it pain? Will Gilbert succeed in his evil plan? And in the end, what will Arthur choose? Will he choose his loyalty to the Queen, his crew, and the trade, or will he throw away everything to follow his heart?**

**Reviews are loved, cuddled, and appreciated! Again, I apologize for spelling Amelige's name wrong all this time! **

**Thanks for reading, and there will be more coming soon! Ja ne~! :3**

**PRK**

_**Translations**_

_Nasgi yunega! Agisdiyi galitsadi ale gatlida!_- It white man! Get the bow and arrow!

_Halewista!- _Stop!

_Nasgiasgaya wili nasgi atsisonvnv itsulaayv!- _He will not hurt you!

_Tsalagi- _Cherokee

_Nasgiasgaya wanige atslvsgi, golisdi- _He delicate flower, understand?

_tsula- _fox


End file.
